Picking up on the Bloomsbury thread, but going off at a tangent and not wanting to disrupt that thread...what do people think about using real locations in novels?
My story location is both real and not. Key features are inspired by the Malverns, as would be apparent to anyone reading it who knew them. But I've cheated and taken big liberties, not wanting to be contrained by the real life geographical constraints. Choices, choices. To use a real town, as many authors do, grit and veracity and a local tourism marketing angle thereby, Morse and Oxford now go together for Morse fans, but with the risk of having every error pointed out, or someone deciding that your character is based on them (and is maybe libellous :) ) Or make it both harder and easier on yourself....with a landscape invented from scratch, though there is nothing new under the sun, so unless it's speculative fantasy, people might still try guessing the 'real' location. anyway. More pros and cons, people?
'When I worked out a timeline for my third story I found that to get my characters between two essential and factual battles they needed a gale-force following wind, then a five-day forced march with no overnight stops. So I'm having to cheat a bit there, too.'
I love it :) Yes, there is always someone who may find the 'error', and feel the need to point it out, though the truth in question may be a poetic truth.
I read somewhere that Frederick Forsyth was furious to think he's got something wrong, in 'The Day of The Jackal', being informed by some ballistics expert that the Jackal could not have been thrown against a wall by the force of bullets hitting him.
Like I, a reader, give a d - when I read it.
I've found period timescales more of a problem than location. It's difficult to imagine travelling by sail, horse or on foot when we're so used to today's vehicle speeds. How far could they realistically go in a day? Where did they stop for the night? Etc, etc.
When I worked out a timeline for my third story I found that to get my characters between two essential and factual battles they needed a gale-force following wind, then a five-day forced march with no overnight stops. So I'm having to cheat a bit there, too.
But I do try to excuse bending historical facts by writing an end note explanation, because someone will pick up on them otherwise. That sort of thing might be worth considering if the displacement's really obvious.
Well, I find it very interesting. I have a geographical problem too, of a real river not taking the course I want it to :) I'm having to cheat and move it a few miles west.